Daredevil: Born Again Star Vincent D’Onofrio Addresses The One Thing Holding Kingpin Back From More MCU Appearances (Can Marvel Fix It?)

by

Vincent D’Onofrio has become a fan favorite as Wilson Fisk, better known as Kingpin, ever since he first played the character in the Netflix series Daredevil. He’s widely praised for bringing the villain to life with his powerful and imposing performance, and many consider him the definitive Kingpin. While fans are thrilled to see him continue the role in shows like Hawkeye and Daredevil: Born Again, they’re really hoping to see him appear in a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. Rumors of a film appearance have circulated for a while, but it hasn’t happened, and probably won’t until Marvel addresses a key problem.

So, I was reading an interview with Vincent D’Onofrio over at The Playlist, and they were asking him about whether he might be popping up in the new Spider-Man: Brand New Day movie this summer. He basically said no, and that he’s holding out for Marvel to fully regain the rights to Kingpin before he even considers getting involved. He wants them to actually ask him to be in one of those films before he starts thinking about it, which, honestly, I totally get!

Can Marvel Fix the Rights Issue With Kingpin?

Vincent D’Onofrio has mentioned before why he hasn’t appeared in a Marvel movie – it’s a matter of who owns the rights to his character, Kingpin. He explained that Kingpin’s rights are complicated because the character appears in both Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man universes. This likely ties into the agreement between Disney (Marvel’s parent company) and Sony that allowed Spider-Man to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Kingpin is a well-known enemy of Daredevil, he’s also a famous villain from Spider-Man stories, which probably makes him subject to the terms of that Disney-Sony deal.

Dominic D’Onofrio has stated his version of Kingpin is best suited for TV shows, and he doesn’t believe it would work for a standalone movie. Since a different Kingpin appeared in the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, many believe the agreement between Disney and Sony limits D’Onofrio’s Kingpin to television appearances. This explains why he’s returned for shows like Hawkeye and Echo, but hasn’t been in any movies. Although fans would enjoy seeing him fight Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Marvel Studios probably prioritized using Kingpin as a central villain in the Daredevil series.

Now that Spider-Man is back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to a deal between Sony and Disney, many believe they could also work out an agreement regarding the Kingpin character. It would be a win-win situation, allowing both companies to utilize a popular villain in future projects. Despite creating lots of content for Disney+ (including the upcoming second season of Daredevil: Born Again this March), Disney seems to be reconsidering its focus on streaming and may prioritize releasing films in theaters again. If this happens, it would be smart for Sony and Disney to collaborate and secure Kingpin’s continued presence on the big screen.

It’s surprising this hasn’t happened yet, but the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day seems like a natural place for Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, to appear. The story focuses on street-level crime, features organized crime figures like Tombstone, and Kingpin is currently the mayor of New York City, actively fighting vigilantes. While it would make sense for him to be in this movie, reports suggest the filmmakers are moving forward without him – unless Vincent D’Onofrio makes a surprise appearance like Andrew Garfield did. Brand New Day is intended to launch a fresh storyline for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, ensuring the character continues even after the Marvel Cinematic Universe changes following Avengers: Secret Wars. Maybe Kingpin will show up in a potential Spider-Man 5 instead.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/sonys-surprising-spider-man-brand-new-day-decision-actually-makes-sense-repeats-a-5-year-old-trick/embed/#

Read More

2026-02-06 23:10